sports
Crusader Pushes For
Baseball To Honor
Negro League Years
SMITHSBURG, Md. <AP>— It happened mm day hi 1*7*. aa
undramaUc event marked only by the solitude of thought gained
from the discovery of a worthwile book.
For Smitkabarg resident Todd Bolton, life since has never been
quite the same. Ike book Bolton uncovered that day at the local
library was Robert Peterson’s “Only the Ball was White.” a
comprehensive study of Negro League baseball and Ms players.
To the baseball fan in Bolton. the hook shed a new. sometimes
troubling light an bis favorite sport. To the kistertaa In him, M was a
reminder that there la much of America's baseball history yet to be
told.
Bolton, who has become sort of a crusader, devoting aa many as It
hours a week documenting the accomplishments of Negro League
players and poshing whever possible for the recognition he believes
is their doe.
“We’re a country that always prides Itself on treating everyone
equally,” Bolton said. “But at times, M’s a concept that seems the
furthest thing from the troth. I guess that’s a reason I’m Involvad
with researching the Negro Leagues. These were boom truly greet
athletes, but In comparison to the white players of that earn what da
we know of them? That’s something I’d Hke to see changed."
Bolton said in many ways, the caliber of play In the Negro Leagues
was as good If aot better than the MJer Leagues of the era. Yet to the
broader American public, tt remains aa unknown fact, ho said.
And so be works to get the work out, submitting articles to varloua
publications, organising promotional events and petitioning
baseball’s Hall of Fame committee to Induct more Negro League
players. For U years he’s been at M. driven by a sense af equality bo
believes is sorely missing in mainstream society.
The names gash forth— Ben Taylor, Josh Gibson. Judy Johnson,
“Cool Papa” BeU, Leon Day. Bolton rattles them off one alter
another with a gleam in his eye.
By his estimate, three-fonrths of the players who competed during
the Negro League era, which spanned 2S years from ISIS to IMS, had
legitimate Major League ability. He backs bis assertion. cMlng
records indicating Negro League teems won the majority of
exhibition games played against their white counterparts.
“It got to the point where (then baseball commissioner) Kencsaw
Mountain Landis wanted the games stopped because the black teams
were winning too many,” Bolton said. “It was an exciting brand of
baseball in the Negro Leagues. There was a real emphasis on
offense that made for an entertaining play.”
The season comprised of a 4*- to 80-game schedule. To keep the
Negro Leagues going financially, teams also barnstormed
throughout the United States, playing semipro and pro balldubs.
Segregation was a major barrier for the players to overcome. Not
only did it affect them on the Held, it often made life on the road more
difficult to endure. Poor living and eating conditions along with
racial harassment were common, Bolton said.
Yet in his conversations with Negro League players, Bolton
seldom detects a sense of bitterness.
“It’s a little surprising, but that’s how many of them are,” be said.
“They just say It’s the way life was and that they never missed
anything, only America did.”
In recent years, Bolton has worked hard to get the Hall of Fame to
induct Leon Day, a former pitcher considered by many to have been
equal In skill to the legendary Satchel Paige.
“Todd has helped bring bock some fond memories for me,” said
Day, 75, of Baltimore. “The amount of interest he’s shown la
surpising for a fellow his age, but it really is appreciated. He’s done
a lot for the players over the years and I know they’re all grateful.”
A year ago, Boltoa and a group of former Negro League players,
including Day and Hall of Fame member Monte Irvin, placed a
marker on the grave of Ben Taylor, who was perhaps the greatest
first baseman of his era. A consistent .306 hitter and smooth fielder,
Taylor was a player/manager for about six years in the Negro
League and a manager for eight years.
Taylor died in obscurity, his grave left unmarked for 41 years after
his death.
Residents Want Share In
New Stadium Plans
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP)—
The promise of major league base
ball means payback time for inner
city residents who sacrificed
homes and churches for the Sun
coast Dome.
And they mean good pay, not
seasonal minimum wage.
“I think any time you take some
thing from somebody, you need to
give them something just as good
or better back,” said the Rev. John
Copeland, a prominent black
leader.
"If baseball comes here, we plan
to share in whatever it produces.
We don’t plan far them to just
have a baseball stadium and have
us sweeping floors.'
Friday, when it was announced
that the owner of the San Fran
cisco Giants had agreed to sell to a
Tampa Bay group, the excitement
bounded back to St. Petersburg’s
black community.
The Dome sits on the land that
once was a thriving black commu
nity. The neighborhood was demol
ished in exchange for a promise of
jobs when a major tenant was
found for the covered stadium.
Baseball is expected to bring 800
to 2,000 frill-time jobs within walk
ing distance of some of the city's
poorest neighorhoods, city officials
have said.
State Rep. Doug Tim” Jamer
son grew up in the neighborhood
that was razed for the Dome. His
grandmother was one of the last
residents to move. He said the
city could take advantage of the
opportunity and create programs
to help people open their own busi
nesses.
“My grandmother said, *if I have
to give up my property for pro
gress, I will," said Jamerson.
“I am sure there is going to be a
vigilance on those African-Ameri
can members of the city council
who understand the black commu
nity was promised they were going
to have a share of this growth in
that area.’'
Jamerson said he is optimistic
about baseball coining to the city
and the benefits it could bring to
south St. Petersburg, but is saving
his celebrating for the day the
Giants’ moving van pulls up to the
Dome
Meanwhile, the coat of building
the Dome has been a heavy drain
on money that otherwise would
have gone to inner-city repairs and
social services. This year, the dty
received $2.1 million in federal
grant money, but spent 40 percent
of it on debt on the stadium’s land.
FiUyau said the city now need to
direct money into improving hous
ing in neighborhoods where as
many as one-third of the homes
are boarded-up.
YMCA Team
Competes,
Loses 54-43
The Garner Road Family YMCA
14 and Under team placed fourth
at the AAU 14 and Under Na
tional Championship Gains in Ya
kima, Washington.
On July 26, 1902 at 11:00 a.m.
the Garner Road Allstars met the
Performance Technical Institute
(PTI) of Los Angeles, a team the
•Y* placed second in the nation to
in 1991. This cloae game was led
by the Allstars high scorers
Stephon McQueen with 15 points.
With 15 seconds to go the score
tied at 46-46. Hie game went into
overtime.
After several unsuccessful free
throw attempts and four missed
shots the game ended with PTI 54
43.
Coach Hank Mattocks noted
that ‘we played really hard and I
am pleased with the effort we
made, we just missed easy oppor
tunities.”
White Athletes Graduate At Higher Rate
Than Blacks On Team Says NCAA
JACKSON, Min. <AP)- White
athletes are graduating at a
significantly higher rate than their
black teammates at Mississippi's two
Southern Conference schools,
according to NCAA reports.
The reports show, however, that
Mack athletes perform better than
an athlatn at Mleeisalppl State and
Melte.
Oenall, athletes at Ole lOn, State
at ratn comparable to the rest of the
student body, the reports show, and
athlotas at predominately black
Jackson state —t Mirrinippi Valley
State fared much better than non
Tbe NCAA documents show whites
entering MSU in IMS or IM4 were
more than twice a) likely as their
Mack teammates to earn a degree by
At the same time, 27 percent of
black male athletes entering to State
went on to earn a degree, compered
with just 21 percent of black male
non-athletes.
At Ole Miss, Mack athletes trailed
white athletes in graduations, 56
percent to 32 percent. And black
male athletes out-graduated Mack
male non-athletes 36 percent to 27
percent.
The reports showed Ole Miss,
Mississippi State and Jackson State
outperformed the national football
average of 60 parent, while Alcorn
State, USM and Mississippi Valley
football teams did worse then the
average.
In addition, Ole Miss, JSU and
Mississippi State outperformed the
national men’s basketball avenge of
55 percent, while Southern
Mississippi, Valley and Alcorn trailed
the national avenge.
Officials said the graduation ates
vary from sport to sport, school to
school and formula to formula. One
measure, known as the "refined”
rate, adjusts the graduation
formula— which involves dividing
the number of graduates by the
number of incoming freshman to
exclude outgoing transfer students
and include incoming transfer
students.
Top teems, using the "refined”
formula:
•MSU baseball, M percent
Ole Miss, S8 percent
JSU footbal, 86 percent
At the lower end of the "refined”
formula were:
Mississippi Valley men’s
basketball, 27 percent
USM men’s basketball, 27 percent
Valley women’s basketball, 27
percent
Alcorn State football, 2» percent
The NCAA reports, however, do not
tell the whole story. For example
only two of the nine men’s basketball
players at USM who started school in
1983 or 1984 had degrees six yean
later. Coach M.K. Turk said
Randolph Keyes, John White and
Derrick Hamilton are playing
professional basketball, while Casey
Fisher is a chaolaln in the Army.
“It’s their obligation to come back
(to get their degrees) if they want
to,” Turk said.
Redskins Vs. Politics
In Plan For Relocation
BY BARRY COOPER
In Washington, D.C., these days,
the talk of the town isn't the econ
omy or the coming presidential
election. Everybody is talking
about whether Washington Red
skins owner Jack Kent Cooke will
fellow through on his promise to
build a 78,000-seat stadium out
ride the city in nearby Arlington,
Va.
Caught in the middle are fans
who don't want the Redskins leav
ing D.C., and also two of the
country's most prominent black
politicians.
D.C. Mayor Sharon Pratt Kelly
is feeing the most visible battle of
her young administration as she
struggles to keep the Redskins
Dram leaving.
On the other ride is Virginia
Gov. James Wilder, who is trying
to entice the Redskins to move.
It’s ths first time in history that
two black politicians have been
opposed on such a visible issue.
Granted, the location of the Re
dskins’ new horns won’t affect the
economy, or unemployment figures,
but you wouldn't know that judg
ing by brouhaha underway in the
nation’s capital.
It seems everyone in D.C. wants
the 'Skins to stay. Wilder is trying
to convince Virginia residents that
the lime is now for the state to
have its first professional sports
team.
The Redskins won’t be going far.
If they move to Virginia, they’ll be
just five miles from their present
home at RFK Stadium. 8till, the
move is being hotly contested.
The controversy began when
Cooke originally announced he
would build the stadium within
the District of Columbia. Mayor
Kelly thought she had pulled off a
coup. Then, Wilder began secret
negotiations with Cooke. He said
his state Would come up with $130
million for site improvements- '
twice what Mayor Kelly had of
fered-if the Redskins would move
to a tract of land in Arlington.
Although he had already struck
a deal with Kelly, Cooke shook
hands with Wilder on a new deal.
Kelly was furious. She called
Cooke "a billionaire bully* who
played “two impoverished jurisdic
tions” against one another.
No one can say tor sure where
the Redskins will end up, and
Wilder may have a tough time sell
ing his financial package to the
Virginia legislature. All govern
ments are strapped for money, and
Wilder may face considerable op
position in trying to gain so much
money for a sports team.
Also, few average citizens of Vir
ginia ever would get a chance to
see the Redskins play. There al
ready is a waiting list of some
40,000 for season tickets.
-1
Simi Valley Works To
Erase Bad Reputation
8IMI VALLEY, Calif. <AP>
'' Working toerase stereotypes and
•hew thair communities can get
along, hundredi of South Central
Lo* Angeles residents joined Simi
Valley suburbanites last week for
a softball game.
"Basically we just wanted to
cone out in fellowship with this
community and 1st them know
there are no hard feelings," said
Dwayne Tatnall, 32, an outfielder
for 8outh Central's KJLH-FM ra
dio All-Star Team.
Deadly rioting rocked inner-city
neighborhoods, including South
Central, three months ago after a
jury in this bedroom community
tcquittr J four white police officers
of meet charges stemming from
the boating of a black motorist.
The March 1991 beating of Rod
ney King, videotaped by a by
stander, focused national attention
on the tonne of notice brutality.
"Sind got a bad reputation alter
ths trial and maybe this will help,”
said outfielder Deedee Cavanaugh,
32, of Simi Valley. “I thought it
was a good idea to get people out
here and have a good time without
any tensions*
More than 600 peoplo turned out
at Rancho Santa Susana Commu
nity Park, despite 100-degree tem
peratures. Five hundred of them
came by bus from South Central
Lcs Angeles, 40 miles away
Tire South Central team won 6
1.
About six uniformed police offi
cers were on duty at utre park and
there were no problems, said po
lice Lt. Neal Rein.
The softball game wae organised
by Simi Valley resident Sue Dav
enport and Jan Hardy of South
Central Los Angeles.
“No one liked the image the me
dia gave our communitiee after the
riots and trial,” Ms. Davenport
said. “I wanted to show that 8imi
Valley wasn’t racist and Jan didn't
want everyone to think that every
one in South Central is a gang
banger or looter.”
Barcelona Noting Few
Blacks Visit Olympics
By Ben Holman
CafiUl N»>
Barcelona—“Chercher la noir.*
My French friends will kill me
fcr.ttiit.FW.it if* take-off of the
tongpie-in-cheek French expres
sion, “Chercher la femme,” which
means roughly, “Look for the
woman.” And it’s a Frenchman's
way of saying there aren’t many
women around in a certain situ
ation.
My crude equivalent means,
■Look for the Blacks.” And in this
case I mean that there aren't very
many American Blacks to be found
here in Barcelona, beyond, of
coureerthe many African-Ameri
cans on the U8A Olympic team
and their coaches and family.
Perhaps black Americans de
cided they might as well wait and
fwV* it to Atlanta in 1996.
If SO, Joseph Robinson, Jr., who
is hem for these Olympics from At
lanta, th<"ke that was a mistake.
“Tve been ecstatic about the way
IVe been treated,” said the young
banking specialist for the Federal
Deposit Insurance Corporation of
fice in Atlanta. “But now that you
mention it, I haven’t seen many
other American Blacks here.”
It is a little difficult to know for
certain, however. For Barcelona,
like meet cosmopolitan European
cities, have strong contingents of
people of color among the resident
population. Ukt in most European
cities, these mainly are persons
who have migrated here from for
mer African colonies. And w. i.
true in moot cosmopolitan cities,
you cant tell where a person is
from ttwss days by the clothing.
. (Among, the moat popular items
hem are American sports teams
T-shirts and caps. I took a strictly
oon-aciontiflc survey mid con
cluded that the San Francisco
Forty-Niners are the most popular
in T-shirts and the New York Yan
kees in caps. Apparently, the
Spaniards are a few Super Bowls
and World Series behind.)
Usually, the giveaway ia lan
guage. When you paae a brother or
sister babbling away in Spanish,
you can bet he or she is not from
Chicago, L.A. or Brooklyn.
(Editor’s note: Only about 600 Af
rican-Americans were among the
10,000 participants.)
Trial Set
InJemison
Bribe Case
LAFAYETTE, La. (AP)—The
Rev. TJ. Jemison pleaded inno
cent today to federal charges that
he lied when he told a jury he
didn’t try to buy the silence of the
victim in boxer Mike Tyson’s raps
trial.
U.S. Magistrate Pamela Tynes
then set an Oct 6 trial date and
allowed Jemison to remain free an
a $100,000 unsecured appearance
bond. Tynes said Jemison’s travel
won’t be restricted as long as he
appears in court when required.
Last month, a federal grand
jury indicted Jemison, head of the
nation’s largest black religious de
nomination, with perjury for deny
ing he offered $1 million to a
beauty contestant to drop rape al
legations against Tyson, a farmer
heavyweight boxing champion.
Alter Tyson was convicted, Miss
Washington said that someone
she refused to say who-had of
fered her $1 million to recant.
Jemison acknowledged before the
trial that he had called Miss
Washington before the trial but
denied offering any bribe.
The indictment says Jemison of
fered money several times. It in
cluded a transcript of a Dec. 80,
1991, telephone conversation in
which he allegedly offered her fa
ther, Donald Washington, up to H
million.
Conviction of perjury carries a
penalty of five years in prison and
$250,000 fine.